Percy is bright yellow, freshly sharpened, and absolutely terrified. He has never made a mark before. Not a dot, not a squiggle, not even an accidental smudge. Today, for the very first time, Percy is being asked to draw a line on a blank page.
Percy is not sure he can handle this level of responsibility.
Until this moment, Percy has lived a perfectly clean, perfectly safe pencil life inside a tidy pencil case with sensible friends who do not ask difficult questions. But now the page is waiting. The assignment has been given. And Percy’s imagination is working overtime in the worst possible way.
What if the line wobbles. What if it wiggles. What if it goes slightly wonky and everyone notices. What if the paper judges him. What if the sharpener laughs from across the desk. What if the ruler takes one look, measures the disaster, and calls an emergency meeting with the rest of the stationery to discuss Percy’s obvious unsuitability for pencil work.
Because Percy has a very active imagination, and right now that imagination is not being helpful at all.
At first, Percy tries every trick he knows to delay the inevitable. He pretends he has not heard the instruction. He looks casually in the other direction. He wonders aloud if perhaps someone else might like to go first. But the moment arrives, as moments always do, and there is no avoiding it. Percy touches the page.
And that is when everything becomes wonderfully, ridiculously complicated.
The line does not go where Percy expects. It wobbles in ways that feel both mortifying and oddly freeing. The page seems to have its own opinions about what is happening. Confidence takes a tumble, then scrambles back up again. Courage appears in the middle of the chaos, wearing a slightly surprised expression. And Percy begins to realise something important. The scary bit is not making the mark. The scary bit is believing the first mark has to be perfect.
This is a funny bedtime story for kids who worry about getting things right, for children who freeze up when they think people are watching, and for anyone who has ever stared at a blank page and felt their brain go completely empty. It is also for parents who recognise that particular tension in a child’s shoulders when they are trying too hard to be good at something new. The story is gentle without being preachy, silly without being chaotic, and it never turns into a lesson. It just lets Percy be anxious, then lets him discover that trying is braver than waiting.
Perfect for family listening during homework breaks when confidence has wobbled, at bedtime when you want calming bedtime story comfort with giggles tucked inside, or during after school wind down when everyone needs a reminder that mistakes are allowed. If you are searching for audio stories for children that help little perfectionists relax, or a kids storytelling podcast that makes parents smile while gently loosening the grip on being flawless, Percy is exactly the pencil you need.
The wholesome humour builds in a comforting way, the silliness feels safe, and the ending settles like a soft sigh, making it a brilliant bedtime story podcast choice when you want laughter that helps everyone breathe easier instead of bouncing off the walls.
Mr Morton’s Barmy Book of Bonkers Bits is performance driven storytelling that turns everyday worries into warm, silly adventures. Kind hearted, never mean, and always safe for bedtime.
Episode length: approximately 8 minutes
Ages: 4 to 400
Best enjoyed: bedtime, car journeys, after school wind down
If Percy made your household breathe a little easier, follow the show for more funny bedtime stories for kids that settle cosy, and leave a quick rating so other tired parents can find it too.
